Aberdeen under-20 coach Paul Sheerin will be delighted to step back out of the limelight after Derek McInnes’ decision to stay at the club.
McInnes last night ended six weeks of intense speculation about his future by opting to stay at the Dons following an approach from Rangers.
Sheerin has taken charge of first-team affairs for the past two days along with Barry Robson and was ready to take the team for tonight’s Premiership match at Dundee.
But the manager’s decision to stay means Sheerin will happily hand the reins back to McInnes and he could not be happier to do so.
He said: “I was asked to take the team for a couple of days along with Barry and was happy to do so. But I’m even happier to hand it back to Derek now that he’s staying.
“He was the one who asked me to do it on Tuesday night and we just got on with it.
“I didn’t know about his decision until this afternoon. It was after 4pm when I was leaving Pittodrie that I got a call saying he was staying.
“It’s fantastic news for the club,. Everyone wanted him to stay and what we were all hoping happened.”
McInnes has spent the past two days agonising over the decision but Sheerin insists the players have not let the manager’s deliberations about his future affect their preparation for tonight’s game at Dens Park.
He said: “It was obviously a tough situation for everyone but the players were fantastic, they were focused on the Dundee game and worked as hard as normal.
“We just kept everything the same, nothing changed. It’s football, these things happen and the players were able to cope with it.
“They are a great bunch and their focus was always on the game this weekend. Derek will now come back in and pick his team for the game at Dens Park.”
Despite McInnes’ decision to stay there will be some Dons supporters who are sceptical at the manager taking time to consider his options.
Sheerin, however, believes the news will be welcomed by most of the fans.
He said: “It will give everyone a boost, the players and the supporters to know that he’s going to remain the manager.
“He’s done a fantastic job here over the years, he’s built the place up and clearly feels he has unfinished business.
“It’s great to have a resolution and the fact it’s the one we wanted makes it better.
“To be honest, most people probably thought he would go so it’s massive for Aberdeen that he’s staying.”